How to open a GUI app from Terminal without losing terminal input

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How to clean launch a GUI app via the Terminal (so it doesn't wait for termination)?

If I have a terminal open in X-window, I can start a GUI app from the terminal. If I give Ctrl+C, the GUI app closes and you get back the prompter in the terminal so you can write commands again.

For example: If I run gedit, it starts but it doesn't return control to that console so I cannot reuse it for other commands, If I want to regain control I need to do Ctrl+C, but that closes the GUI app. I need the GUI app to keep running but also to use further the console to start other apps or run other commands.

How to start a X-window app from terminal console, without leaving that console occupied solely by that app?

cauon · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-08T11:26:28.443

15

Simply add & to your call to start it as background process.

Example:

gedit sometext.txt &

edited Oct 08 '12 at 11:26

answered Oct 08 '12 at 11:11

cauon

1,723

1

cool, this one I didn't know :) – Evandro Silva Oct 08 '12 at 11:16
What is really cool about it, is that if you run the first gedit in background & the subsequent gedit can be ran without the & if gedit is still open. – Eduard Florinescu Oct 08 '12 at 11:51
2

If you forgot to add the &, no problem. Just press Ctrl+z which will pause the program. Then enter bg which will let it continue in the background. – AmanicA Oct 16 '12 at 23:42

score 6 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 08 '12 at 11:16

6

I advise you to use gksudo if that app needs administrative access with the &

gksudo gedit sometext.txt &

answered Oct 08 '12 at 11:16

How to open a GUI app from Terminal without losing terminal input

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